Opera Soloists / Sopranos

In 2002 Ms. Gedmintaitė graduated from the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (prof. Irena Milkevičiūtė’s class), where she received her MA Degree in vocal performance. After joining the LNOBT opera company in the same year and making her debut there as Donna Anna in W. A. Mozart’s opera “Don Giovanni”, she became the winner of the "Operos Švyturiai" Awards in the category Opera Hope of the Year. In 2004 she received another “Operos Švyturiai” award, this time as the Best Female Soloist of the Year (awarded for her interpretation of Rachel in “La Juive“.

She is also the prizewinner of a number of national and international vocal competitions, including "Operete mano meile/Operetta, My Love" (3rd prize, 2002), Vincė Januškaitė-Zaunienė Competition (3rd prizes in 2001 and 2002), International Vocal Competition in Beskow, Germany (hailed as Best Interpreter, 2002), and Fortuna 2004 for the role of Julliette in Charles Gounod’s "Romeo et Julliette". In 2005 Ms. Gedmintaitė represented Lithuania at the “Expo 2005“ exhibition held in Japan. In 2010 J. Gedmintaitė received the “Operos Švyturys” award as the Best Female Opera Soloist of the Year for her role of Susanna in W. A. Mozart’s “Le nozze di Figaro”.

Ms. Gedmintaitė is often participating in concerts together with the Lithuanian State and Lithuanian National symphony orchestras, performing soprano parts in many oratorios, masses and cantatas. She performed in the UK, Estonia, Japan, USA, France, Sweden, Switzerland and elsewhere.

Sandra Janušaitė is one of the most prominent opera soloists in Lithuania. She is a graduate of the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre. The soprano also spent a training period at the "Mozarteum" Summer Academy in Salzburg, Austria, under the tutelage of Prof. Lilian Sukis and participated in master classes for young singers with Prof. Renatta Scotto at the Stanislaw Moniuszko Music Academy in Gdansk. Since 2001 she has been a principal soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In 2004 Ms. Janušaitė received the “Operos Švyturiai“ award in the category of the Opera Hope of the Year and in 2012 won the same award in the Best Opera Soloist of the Year category for her role of Tatyana in P. Tchaikovsky’s “Eugene Onegin”.

Ms. Janušaitė is performing all leading soprano roles on LNOBT‘s active repertoire. In July 2007 she went on tour with the LNOBT to the Ravena Festival in Italy - here she performed Sieglinde in R. Wagner’s opera “Die Walküre” and gave a solo concert together with the LNOBT’s Orchestra conducted by Robertas Šervenikas. In that same the soloist also sang together with the BBC National Symphony Orchestra.

Viktorija Miškūnaitė studied vocal performance at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (class of assoc. prof. Asta Krikščiūnaitė). In 2009 through the audition to the 4th International Singing Competition in Saint Petersburg (Russia) she was selected to participate in the master classes of jury members Carmen Balthrop (USA) and Mauro Trombetta (Italy). In 2011-2012 she was on probation at the State University of Music and Performing Arts Stuttgart (class of Sylvia Koncza). At the same time she was also participating in the intensive courses of vocal and dramatic interpretation organized by the Baltic states’ “NordOpera” biennale and bel canto master classes of prof. Delfo Menicucci at the Verdi Conservatory in Milan (Italy). In 2013 the soprano participated in the master classes organized by the summer academy courses of the Verbier International Festival (Switzerland) with Barbara Bonney, Claudio Desderi, Tim Carroll and others, and at the international master classes with director Peter Konwitschny, organized by the “OpernWerkstatt” (Switzerland).

V. Miškūnaitė is the laureate of the republican Zenonas Paulauskas Competition of young singers, international competition “Song to the City” in Kaunas, Vincė Jonuškaitė-Zaunienė’s Competition of female singers, chamber singing competition “Beatričė”.

Since 2006 the soloist has been actively performing in Lithuanian and abroad. V. Miškūnaitė has performed with the National Symphony Orchestra, piano duo Rūta and Zbignevas Ibelhauptas, Čiurlionis Quartet, state choir “Vilnius”, participated in the contemporary music festival “Gaida”, art festival of Druskininkai, summer festival in Tytuvėnai. In 2012 she took part in the European tour of ECA and SWR Baden-Baden symphony orchestra (performances at the National Philharmonic of Berlin, “Teatro Real” in Madrid, festival of Luzerne, Strasbourg, etc., with conductor Sylvain Chamberlain), performing Young Girl in A. Schoenberg’s opera “Moses und Aaron”. The soprano has also created several roles for the “Vilnius City Opera” (Ines in “Il trovatore”, Despina in “Cosi fan tutte”, Mimi in “La boheme”. V. Miškūnaitė made her debut at the LNOBT as Rosalinde in J. Strauss’ “Die Fledermaus” and in 2015 was accepted into the opera company of the theatre.

In 2007 V. Miškūnaitė was bestowed Honourable Acknowledgement of the Prime Minister of the Republic of Lithuania Gediminas Kirkilas, in 2013 – the Congratulatory Note of H. E. President of the Republic of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaitė. In 2015 she received the Opera Soloist of the Year award for her role of Manon, in 2016 was bestowed the Golden Cross of the Stage award.

In 1984-1992 Regina Šilinskaitė studied at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre, in Vlada Mikštaitė‘s class. She also participated in masterclasses held by Lilian Šukys (1992, Austria), P. Orlowitz (1993, Denmark) and Josef Loibl (Germany, 1996).

In 1992 she made her debut as Gilda in “Rigoletto” at the Kaunas State Musical Theatre. That same year in Saint Petersburg she also won a competition for young singers “Baltic Stars”. Since 1998 she has been a soloist with the opera company of the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre.

In 2004 Ms. Šilinskaitė was nominated for the Golden Cross of the Stage Award for her portrayal of Valencienne in F. Lehar’s operetta “Die lustige Witwe”. One year later she received the same award for the role of Princess Eudoxie in J. Halevy’s “La Juive”, which is considered to be one of her most successful and mesmerizing performances.

The soloist has prepared chamber music programmes consisting of French and German music. She collaborated with conductors Yehudi Menuhin, Ingo Ernst Reihl, Jonas Aleksa, Liutauras Balčiūnas, Saulius Sondeckis, Martynas Staškus and Vytautas Viržonis.

The soloist toured France, Finland, Switzerland, Germany and other countries.

Ms. Julija Stupnianek studied singing with Assoc. Prof. Irena Laurušienė at the Lithuanian Academy of Music, graduating in 2001. Her international training included “Wiener Musikseminar” with Ingeborg Wamser in 1999, master classes with famous baritone H. Hugegord (Sweden) in 2000, Russian Art Song Courses together with O. Preobrazhenska and Opera Island Bornholm summer academy in 2002, where she appeared as Fiordiligi in the premiere performances of Mozart’s Cosi fan tutte directed by Jonathan Miller. She completed her post-graduate studies at the Lithuanian Academy of Music in 2003. In 2000 she made her debut at the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre as Violetta in G. Verdi’s “La Traviata”.

That same year she also participated in the Usedomer Festival in Germany and St. Christopher Summer Festival in Vilnius, one year later 2001 - in Rostock Baltic Countries Festival and Helsinki Festival (Finland). Ms. Julija Stupnianek was also a participant in the production of J. Juzeliūnas cantata “The Speech of Flowers”, presented together with the St. Christopher’s Chamber Orchestra at the contemporary music festival “Gaida” in Vilnius. In 2004 she made her debut at the Latvian National Opera as Liu in G. Puccini’s “Turandot”.

Ms. Julija Stupnianek is the prizewinner of Dichler-Sato Competition in Vienna (3rd prize, 1999), “Romansiada” International Vocal Competition in Moscow (3rd prize, 2000), Vincė Jonuškaitė-Zaunienė Competition in Vilnius (1st prizes in 2000 and 2001). In 2003, she won the "Operos Švyturiai" Award in the category "Opera Hope of the Year". She also received Grand prix awards at the International Competition for Singers in Kiev (Ukraine, 2005) and International Competition for young opera singers “Art and Education in the 21st Century” (Finland, 2006).

The soloist has prepared soprano parts in oratorio pieces by W. A. Mozart, R. Schubert, J. Haydn. In her concerts of chamber music she’s often singing music by different German, French, Italian, Russian and Lithuanian authors.

In her opera and concert career Ms. Julija Stupnianek has performed under the baton of many notable conductors, including Jonas Aleksa, Juozas Domarkas, Saulius Sondeckis, Robertas Šervenikas, Donatas Katkus, Liutauras Balčiūnas, Vytautas Viržonis, Joseph Walnig, Bernhard Sieberer and Manfred Honeck.

The soloist has performed in Australia, Denmark, Great Britain, Poland, Russia, Finland, Sweden, Switzerland, Germany, Slovenia and Italy.

Since 2005 Ms. Julija Stupnianek has been teaching vocal performance at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre.

Irena Zelenkauskaitė studied singing at the Vilnius’ J. Tallat-Kelpša Music School (currently Vilnius Conservatory) and at the Lithuanian Academy of Music and Theatre (A. Kiselienė’s class).

In 1992 she became a soloist with the Lithuanian National Opera and Ballet Theatre. In 1998 she won the “Kristoforas” Prize, given by the Lithuanian Theatre Association. In 2006 she was bestowed an “Operos Švyturiai” Award as the Best Female Opera Soloist of the Year, and a year later received the “Golden Cross of the Stage” Award for her role of Cio-Cio San in G. Puccini’s “Madama Butterfly”.